50 Best Affordable And Sustainable Denim Brands

Sustainable and organic cotton jeans are a great addition to any conscious wardrobe. Conventional denim manufacturing is one of the most polluting processes in today's fashion industry.

It requires vast amounts of resources, chemicals, water, and energy. The regular production of denim creates massive amounts of pollution, waste, and greenhouse gases every year.

And jeans are often made of a mix of different materials, such as cotton, polyester, and spandex, which makes recycling a challenge, almost impossible, and not profitable.

About 20,000 liters of water are needed to produce one kilogram of cotton, the equivalent of one T-shirt, and one pair of jeans, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Since jeans contain mainly cotton, regular denim manufacturing contributes to significant water scarcity issues that affect about 4 billion people around the world at least one month every year.

Luckily, many sustainable denim brands are leading the jeans revolution and pioneering sustainability with eco-friendly materials, such as organic cotton, lyocell, hemp, and linen.

Ethical fashion brands also support local communities and encourage consumers to buy better cotton, organic, and Fair Trade fashion products.

I've done a lot of research and hard work for you so that you can buy from any of the below sustainable denim brands, knowing that they produce clothes under the highest social and environmental standards.

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1. Nudie Jeans

Category: Clothing, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: Gothenburg, Sweden
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled, second-hand
Prices: $100-$180

Nudie Jeans is an ethical denim brand making high-quality jeans sustainably and ethically. It's well-known for its sustainability, both environmental and social.

Nudie Jeans offers a stylish and environmentally sustainable denim selection made from Fair Trade and organic cotton. It aims to make the most eco-friendly jeans with no extra treatment or washes.

Nudie Jeans encourages a smarter way to consume. It guarantees social standards verified by third-party organizations, including the Fair Wear Foundation.

SHOP NUDIE JEANS

2. Outerknown

Category: Clothing, bags, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Los Angeles, United States
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled, made in the USA
Prices: $200-$350

Outerknown is a sustainable fashion brand established from an understated approach to design and an overstated approach to quality and material.

The clothing label makes effortless, casual beach styles for women and men rooted in sustainability and transparency. It creates versatile essentials with the most planet-friendly fibers, including premium denim with organic and recycled cotton.

Outerknown keeps strict sustainability rules and aims to raise the standard for sustainable design in the global fashion industry. It uses organic, recycled, or regenerated materials to reimagine design and embrace circularity.

Accredited by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), Outerknown invests in the livelihoods of over 5K workers through Fair Trade USA. Three of its partners are Fair Trade Certified.

SHOP OUTERKNOWN

3. Thought

Category: Basics, denim, activewear, nightwear, loungewear, knitwear, outerwear, underwear, bags, accessories, jewelry
For: Women, men
From: London, United Kingdom
Values: Organic, recycled, vegan, give back
Prices: $30-$40

Thought is an eco-friendly fashion brand that creates cute and cheap clothes for women and men with sustainable materials, such as lyocell, organic cotton, and hemp.

Thought creates comfortable and affordable garments that help you look and feel your best, including denim shorts with an easy and flattering fit.

The organic brand is committed to considered design, responsible sourcing, and fostering change. It aims to show that there are more sustainable ways to live, dress, and be.

Thought supports TRAID, a UK charity that works to minimize, improve, and transform the environmental impact of clothing manufacturing. Send your clothes back to TRAID to support the people and places making your clothing.

SHOP THOUGHT

4. Warp + Weft

Category: Basics, denim, outerwear, underwear, maternity, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: NYC, New York, United States
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $80-$100

Warp + Weft makes size-inclusive jeans that are good for you, the planet, and your wallet. The family-owned company from NYC has been in the denim industry for three decades.

Warp + Weft is committed to sustainable practices, fair wages,
reasonable hours, and ethical working conditions for all its people. It uses cotton, Lycra, Tencel lyocell from the U.S., and quality European dyes.

Warp + Weft designs for all bodies, informed by customer data and specific needs. It fit-tests each style on customers of all ages and sizes to create fabulous clothes for everybody.

SHOP WARP + WEFT

5. Amour Vert

Category: Clothing, bags, accessories, shoes
For: Women
From: San Francisco, United States
Values: Organic, made in the USA, give back
Prices: $100-$220

Amour Vert is a sustainable fashion brand that makes classic staples like denim jeans, jackets, shorts, and pants in timeless colors such as navy, white, black, heather gray, and more.

The ethical fashion brand creates clothes in limited quantities to contribute to a more eco-friendly future. Its pieces are chic, comfortable, and better for the planet.

Most of the materials it uses are natural, organic, and sustainable. The label offers a wide range of denim pieces made with 100% organic cotton.

Amour Vert is committed to making fashion thoughtful, versatile, and sustainable. You'll want to keep its timeless pieces in your wardrobe forever.

The eco-friendly label has been planting trees in North America since it first opened its doors with its partner American Forest. It promotes sustainable practices and positive environmental impacts.

SHOP AMOUR VERT

6. ASKET

Category: Clothing, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Values: Organic
Prices: $50-$120

ASKET focuses on creating a range of  essentials, timeless basics for every wardrobe. It offers a permanent collection of ethically produced, quality, and timeless garments designed to last.

Since 2015, ASKET encourages its customers to invest in timeless wardrobe-essentials. Its prices are fair, its manufacturing ethical, and its products designed to outlast the current standards.

ASKET wants to eradicate fast consumption with pieces that stand the test of time. It envisions a world with less clutter, less waste, less smoke, and mirrors.

SHOP ASKET

7. Everlane

Category: Basics, denim, loungewear, outerwear, activewear, underwear, bags, shoes, accessories
For: Women, men
From: San Francisco, United States
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $30-$110

Everlane is an ethical fashion brand creating modern and beautiful essentials, at the best factories, without traditional markups. It's a great destination to buy high-quality, vegan, fair, and sustainable denim and jeans.

The clothing retailer is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and sells primarily online. It uses a high proportion of sustainable materials such as organic cotton and recycled fabrics.

The brand also offers ethically made and designed to last denim, dresses, activewear, basics, shoes, accessories, and intimates for women and men. It believes in exceptional quality to make a difference.

Everlane is widely known for its radical transparency. It educates consumers on its supply chain, factories, employees, and the price breakdown of each product.

The clothing brand produces premium denim in a sustainable factory that uses renewable energy, recycles waste fabrics, and wastewater. It also has an online sustainable denim guide worth checking out.

SHOP EVERLANE

8. Reformation

Category: Basics, denim, outerwear, swimwear, activewear, loungewear, underwear
For: Women
From: Los Angeles, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, made in the USA
Prices: $90-$150

Reformation makes sustainable women's clothing and accessories. It offers a beautiful collection of basics, denim, dresses, swimwear, and intimates for petite up to extended sizes.

The clothing retailer designs effortless silhouettes that celebrate the feminine figure with the most beautiful and sustainable fabrics possible. It pays attention to minimize its social and environmental impacts.

Reformation uses sustainable materials such as organic cotton, recycled cotton, linen, and Tencel lyocell. It makes some of its clothes with recycled fabrics as well, such as regenerated nylon or deadstock fabrics.

SHOP REFORMATION

9. People Tree

Category: Clothing, accessories, jewelry
For: Women
From: Tokyo, Japan
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled, artisan craft, give back
Prices: $80-$130

People Tree is an online garment retailer making clothes from environmentally-friendly materials, including Fair Trade, GOTS-certified organic cotton, and Tencel lyocell.

In 2013, People Tree became the first fashion company to be awarded the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) product label, guaranteeing dedication, and compliance with the principles of Fair Trade.

People Tree offers a wide range of organic basics for women, including jumpsuits, trousers, dresses, skirts, knitwear, denim jeans, and more. It also sells sleepwear, activewear, accessories, and jewelry.

People Tree is also committed to working with disadvantaged farmers and workers to promote fairer trading conditions. It helps combat poverty and employs people in underserved communities around the world.

10. Nobody Denim

Category: Basics, denim, dresses, knitwear, outerwear, accessories
For: Women
From: Melbourne, Australia
Values: Organic, recycled, local, give back, made in Australia
Prices: $70-$220

Nobody Denim is a Melbourne-made clothing brand of premium ethical denim jeans and apparel. It offers affordable, eco-friendly dresses, shirts, shorts, jackets, knitwear, and more for women.

The ethical fashion label is committed to reducing waste across the supply chain. It promotes material efficiency and works to reduce its water and energy consumption.

Nobody Denim is on a journey to do more to lessen its environmental and social impact. It creates beautifully crafted and long-lasting clothes locally from sustainable raw materials.

SHOP NOBODY DENIM

11. Levi's

Category: Clothing, bags, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: San Francisco, United States
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $90-$150

Levi Strauss & Co. is an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's brand of denim jeans. It launched its most sustainable jean ever recently, as part of its Wellthread collection.

The company’s vision is to lead the way to a sustainable world by producing high-quality products from recycled textiles. Levi's sustainable Wellthread collection is made from recycled denim, sustainably-sourced viscose, and cotton.

Levi’s has also been making better choices over the last few years. It’s constantly sourcing more sustainable materials and finding ways to use less water. WellThread is Levi's most sustainable collection to date.

12. G-Star RAW

Category: Clothing, shoes, accessories
For: Women, men, children
From: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $90-$190

G-Star RAW is a Dutch fashion company making design clothing and denim for women and men since 1989. It's heavily influenced by military clothing with strong attention to detail.

G-Star RAW specializes in raw, unwashed, untreated denim and offers original designs with special pockets constructions and use of trims.

The Dutch label creates luxury denim for the streets with distinctive silhouettes and sustainable materials such as organic cotton, linen, and hemp.

G-Star RAW is investing in sustainable innovation and incorporating it into everything it does. It aims to make quality denim of the future with respect for people and the planet in a transparent manner.

13. Mud Jeans

Category: Clothing, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Laren, Netherlands
Values: Organic, recycled, vegan, B Corp, rental
Prices: $120-$150

Mud Jeans is a sustainable denim brand founded in 2013 by Bert van Son and based in the Netherlands. It sustainably and ethically makes high-quality jeans for women and men.

After 30 years of experience in the fashion industry and realizing how dirty and unfair it is, Bert launched its denim brand to make ethical jeans available to more people.

The denim label aims to change the fashion industry. It creates jeans, tops, shorts, and jackets with organic cotton according to the principles of the circular economy.

14. Kuyichi

Category: Clothing, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Utrecht, Netherlands
Values: Organic, recycled, vegan
Prices: $100-$120

Kuyichi is a Dutch fashion brand founded in 2000 and named after the rainbow God K'uychi or Coichi worshipped by the Incas, connected with fertility, who brings color and positivity to the earth and all living things.

Kuyichi was created after a visit to the cotton fields of Oro Blanco, Peru that made apparent the disastrous impact of the cotton industry on people and nature.

It's the first denim brand that launched jeans from 100% organic cotton back in 2003. It aimed to create a production chain that benefits everyone.

Kuyichi wants to stay a pioneering, style-conscious brand that inspires younger generations to wear organic jeans. It creates collections that last beyond the season, including timeless essentials, with a perfect fit, and premium quality.

15. ARMEDANGELS

Category: Clothing, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Cologne, Germany
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled, vegan, give back
Prices: $80-$130

ARMEDANGELS is an ethical fashion label that creates timeless, sustainable clothing for women and men without compromise, including organic jeans, denim jackets, coats, shorts, shirts, dresses, and more.

The company designs a variety of affordable clothes made from eco-friendly organic and recycled materials. It offers ethically made basics, sportswear, denim, knitwear, and accessories.

ARMEDANGELS produces its clothes under the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the highest ecological, sustainable, and social standards for organic fibers.

The brand is also a member of the Fair Wear Foundation that ensures permanently good working conditions and fair wages for all workers in textile factories worldwide.

16. Balzac Paris

Category: Clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry
For: Women
From: Paris, France
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $90-$150

Balzac Paris is a sustainable brand that manufactures beautiful, quality, durable, and affordable clothing for modern women in the European Union.

The responsible brand is passionate about women's fashion combined with sensitivity and modernity. It offers a sincere, fair, optimistic approach to sustainable fashion since 2014.

Balzac Paris strives to reduce its environmental impact by designing classic and timeless pieces with sustainability in mind. Its new sustainable denim collection is made of GOTS-certified organic cotton.

17. Boyish Jeans

Category: Clothing, bags, accessories
For: Women
From: Los Angeles, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, vegan, give back
Prices: $150-$190

Boyish Jeans is a sustainable women's denim brand focused on quality, fit, and authentic washes. It uses modern details and laid-back aesthetics to design refreshing styles sold at a friendly price.

The fashion label is committed to using ethical and sustainable practices in the development and manufacturing of its clothes. It specializes in eco-friendly, vintage-inspired, carbon-neutral certified denim.

The contemporary denim brand strives to have a positive impact on people and the planet. It uses sustainable fabrics, environmentally friendly, and cruelty-free processes.

18. DL1961

Category: Clothing
For: Women, men, children
From: New York, United States
Values: Organic, recycled
Prices: $80-$190

DL1961 is a premium denim brand on a mission to do things differently and committed to reducing its impact on the planet for future generations. It uses sustainable materials such as certified organic cotton, recycled cotton, and Tencel lyocell.

DL1961 makes quality, comfortable, and environmentally friendly denim for women, men, kids, and pets. The family-owned company employs sustainable manufacturing techniques to make its garments in the best way possible for people and the planet.

Many A-list celebrities like Meghan Markle, Sienna Miller, Jennifer Lawrence, Gigi Hadid, Rihanna, Kendall Jenner, Halle Berry, and Reese Witherspoon wear jeans from DL1961.

19. prAna

Category: Clothing, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Carlsbad, California, United States
Values: Organic, recycled, Fair Trade
Prices: $60-$140

prAna is an outdoor brand that makes clothing for positive change, to inspire new generations to thrive and stay active. Its premium lifestyle clothing includes an extensive collection of sustainable denim.

prAna offers ethical and affordable clothes for yoga, travel, and outdoor adventure enthusiasts. It also stocks a wide range of organic jeans, shorts, and skirts.

The clothing label uses a variety of sustainable materials such as organic cotton, hemp, recycled polyester, and regenerated nylon, as well as cellulosic fibers made from renewable resources such as lyocell and modal.

20. Outland Denim

Category: Clothing, accessories
For: Women, men
From: Melbourne, Australia
Values: Organic, recycled, B Corp, give back
Prices: $150-$160

Outland Denim is an Australian denim company that enables stable employment and economic opportunity for women. It crafts sustainable premium denim jeans from organic cotton.

More than 750 people have benefited from stable employment with Outland Denim in Cambodia so far. The brand uses innovative techniques to create environmentally friendly jeans for women and men.

Outland Denim is committed to helping clean up the denim industry. It follows a sustainable path and holistic approach to thoughtful design, research, and collaboration.

21. Kowtow

Category: Clothing, accessories
For: Women
From: Wellington, New Zealand
Values: Organic, Fair Trade, recycled
Prices: $130-$250

Kowtow is an ethical fashion brand that creates sustainable, affordable, elegant, and timeless womenswear out of non-toxic, mostly organic, renewable, and biodegradable materials.

The clothing label strives to create positive change by designing each fabric in-house from the yarn with unique weave, weight, stitch, color, and prints.

Kowtow offers a few sustainable denim jeans, jackets, culottes, and dresses made of 100% Fair Trade certified organic cotton.

The brand sources cotton certified by Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) that empowers farmers to negotiate with buyers to secure better prices. It pays a premium on every single cotton garment.

Kowtow believes in responsible production processes and designs its collections with the entire lifecycle in mind. It uses responsibly sourced materials mindfully to achieve a minimal identity through simplicity and circularity.

While there are too many ethical fashion labels to list them all here, it's worth mentioning these other popular sustainable clothing brands designing organic cotton and lyocell denim jeans:

1. Stella McCartney is a British apparel designer selling clothing, shoes, bags, and accessories for men, women, and kids.
2. ABLE is a sustainable clothing brand working with communities all over the world to stop the cycle of poverty by producing sustainable fashion and paying a living wage to women.
3. E.L.V. Denim, a sustainable denim brand that takes stocks of old discarded denim and transforms them into modern, sophisticated, and even 'made to measure' jeans.
4. RE/DONE, a vintage-inspired denim brand making jeans in your favorite modern fits.
5. Sézane, a fashion brand born in Paris, creating high-quality, perfectly cut pieces at a fair and accessible price.
6. Patagonia, an American clothing company that markets and sells outdoor clothing and gear for silent sports: climbing, surfing, skiing, and snowboarding.
7. Lucy & Yak, an ethical and sustainable brand of indie dungarees, jeans, dresses, boilersuits, and tees.
8. Finisterre, a pioneering, sustainable outdoor brand, built to inspire a love of the sea and anchored in exceptional products.
9. Frank And Oak, a brand of eco-friendly clothing, ethically sourced and designed for good living.
10. Mott & Bow, handcrafted slim fit premium jeans for women and men starting at USD 96.
11. Hiut Denim, a British sustainable denim brand making jeans without compromises.
12. Rudy Jude makes 100% organic cotton denim and sewn happily in Los Angeles.
13. Re-HasH, a sustainable Italian denim company making recognizable garments under the label Rethink-Recycle-Reduce.
14. Buck Mason, a Los Angeles-based menswear brand specializing in modern American classics.
15. Kings Of Indigo, a denim company based in The Netherlands, innovating with materials and sustainable production methods.
16. M.i.h Jeans, a London-based collection of authentic premium denim jeans for women.
17. Bleed Clothing is an ethical apparel and footwear brand that aims to inspire a sustainable lifestyle that easily integrates into your daily life.
18. AMO, an edited collection of vintage-inspired denim and clothing made for and designed by women in Los Angeles.
19. Bliss And Mischief ethically and sustainably makes in Los Angeles vintage-inspired denim and embroidered special pieces for nostalgic people.
20. Triarchy, eco-friendly, and sustainably made jeans, skirts, and jackets using a Tencel/Cotton blend.
21. Etica, a sustainable lifestyle brand using innovative design and cutting-edge technology.
22. Jeanerica, a Stockholm-based organic denim brand making classic and timeless jeans for women and men.
23. Saltspin, a British premium denim brand, designed in London and handcrafted in Italy where style, comfort, and fit are at the forefront of everything.
24. HAPPY HAUS, a conscious and 100% ecological brand with an easy-going feel.
25. unspun, a robotics and digital apparel company building custom-fit jeans through automated, localized, and intentional manufacturing.
26. Amendi, a transparent and traceable fashion brand with a focus on responsible design and production.
27. LASSO, a sustainable jeans label creating products with the perfect fit and eco-friendly materials.
28. Bluer Denim, a premium denim brand making sustainable jeans in America. with perfect fits.
29. Citizen of Humanity, a Los Angeles-based premium denim label designing a selection of clothing styles including shirts, skirts, tops, and jeans.

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Alex Assoune (MS) is a global health and environmental advocate. He founded Panaprium to inspire others with conscious living, ethical, and sustainable fashion. Alex has worked in many countries to address social and environmental issues. He speaks three languages and holds two Master of Science degrees in Engineering from SIGMA and IFPEN schools.